The New York Times, in its infinite torture, chose to run a story about New Zealand's Queenstown (and Wanaka) this weekend, when NYC itself is still buried under 19 inches of snow. I wonder again why I came back (though granted, given how much I love New York, that's an odd thing for me to say and think).
The story explores why it is exactly that NZ and Queenstown in particular came to be such adventure-centrals. Near the end: "Surprisingly, it was while standing alone in the wilderness with only the rain rushing by that I finally understood the adventure pioneers’ inspiration: this country, with some of the most rugged terrain the planet has to offer, challenges you to test yourself against it." A similar theme comes through in the video below: That you can prove yourself here, that you do some of things and are so much more confident in everything.
I got only a very small taste of what could have been possible during my time there on the Backroads biike tour. And there is, again, the issue of the infamous bungee fail. But the fact of the fail is part of what's driving me onward. And the fact that I got as far as I did, when the entire concept of jumping off a high cliff runs rather counter to my fear of heights and my hatred of being constricted (as your feet are, which was perhaps my biggest problem). So I got an interesting mix -- I took a bigger step than I ever would have thought possible, and did it entirely willingly and even enthusiastically, more or less. But then when I got to the edge ... I stepped back. Competing forces, now conspiring within me to move me forward.
And in general there was just something about being in that whole environment.The writer, Ethan Todras-Whitehill, mentions getting caught in a once-a-season deluge that drenches the place for a few days. Given the timing, I'm sure he must have been there when we were. He talks about being soaked at the very start of a hike, and says: "But we never considered turning back; it felt like the sheer extremity of the environment was urging us on." And that's exactly the way I felt on our rides. It was part of the challenge. It was pushing me forward. It was all about conquering.
The NYT video:
Comments